Amphibian Engineers in the Southwest Pacific

Abstract

Just prior to World War II, the US Army identified a critical capability gap in conducting amphibious operations. The Army needed the ability to move large forces ashore and sustain them once they arrived. Amphibious Engineer Brigades were created to fill the gap. These forces were designed to execute all facets of amphibious operations to include: transport to the shore, assault of the shore, establishment of the beachhead, road construction, port construction, fire support, and sustainment. These forces supported Joint Force commanders' use of the elements of operational art to extend reach and provide operational flexibility. As in 1941, today's Army has no ability to conduct amphibious operations. As a critical component of the Joint Force, the Army must regain the capability to conduct amphibious operations as the land-focused component most critical to forcible entry operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 08, 2017
Accession Number
AD1038874

Entities

People

  • Joshua P. Bost

Organizations

  • School of Advanced Military Studies

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amphibious Operations
  • Amphibious Ships
  • Boats
  • Combat Forces
  • Combat Operations
  • Combat Support
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Landing Craft
  • Military History
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Vessels
  • Navy
  • Second World War
  • Ships
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.